Mapping New York City

NYC Smoke-Free's Impact in Tobacco Control

Written by, Deidre Sully, Director of NYC Smoke-Free

NYC Smoke-Free has worked to engage and educate NYC communities for over the past 20 years. Our efforts to eliminate the tobacco epidemic in New York City has led to many great success in tobacco control from environmental change, to social-norm change, to broad-reaching policy change. To demonstrate our footprint in tobacco control, we are sharing two maps that illustrate our impact and serve as a visual guide to how we have engaged communities to increase smoke-free protections in the home as well as worked to expand our Reality Check program.

March 2018 marks the 15th Anniversary of the implementation of the NYC Smoke-Free Air Act of 2002, when comprehensive tobacco control became a priority in New York City. To commemorate this historic occasion, NYC Smoke-Free has set a goal of making 15,000 housing units (apartments) smoke-free by March 2018 - 15 For 15!

Our work in smoke-free housing has led to increased smoke-free protections for New York City families. However, many neighborhoods still lack access to smoke-free housing. The Smoke-Free Housing Map demonstrates NYC Smoke-Free's work to ensure better health outcomes for families by increasing smoke-free housing units across New York City.

NYC Smoke-Free's Reality Check program began in 2015 as a way to involve youth ages 13-18 in tobacco control initiatives. In only a few years, we have already engaged over 4,000 students from almost 60 schools across New York City. Alongside NYC Smoke-Free, Reality Check youth have raised awareness of tobacco issues in their schools, met with elected officials, planned community-based events, and recruited their peers to support tobacco control efforts.

NYC Smoke-Free's work with high school students has been critical in combatting Big Tobacco's targeted marketing to teens and in creating the first Tobacco-Free Generation. More work is needed to expand our reach into schools in every neighborhood so that students have the tools and knowledge to become their own health advocates, regardless of their zip code.

Even through all of the tobacco control success in New York City, it is clear that we still have work to do. Want to see your building or school on the map? Get involved, and sign up here or contact our borough offices!